


Negligence, Conspiracy and Group Projects

by Tren



Series: Love, Hate and Other Misdemeanors [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Choking on Food, Denial, Drowning, Homework, Loneliness, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Shadows (Persona Series), Sickness, Snark, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 07:10:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18338687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tren/pseuds/Tren
Summary: Goro Akechi thought there was nothing worse than being botched by all the people who were supposed to work with him on a group project, but he was wrong.Both the Conspiracy and Akira Kurusu would make sure that those two weeks were more of a disaster than he ever thought possible.





	Negligence, Conspiracy and Group Projects

**Author's Note:**

> This is a side story to [Arson, Homicide and Cat Photos](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14761211) (taking place during the course of that fic). I recommend checking it out first, if you haven't. However, to summarize, this is an AU where Goro and Akira kept in contact since they meet for the first time at TV station.
> 
> Also, if you liked Arson, you are in luck, because I'm officially working on a continuation! Just heads up, I'm a perfectionist who doesn't post stories until they are done, so it will take me at least a year, if not longer, because the continuation is shaping up to be really long. So good things coming... someday in the future.
> 
> Thanks to Li for beta.

Goro hated group projects.

He admittedly hated many things, but the current situation was making him reconsider just how much he loathed them.

“What do you mean you can’t meet, Hoshimari?” Goro repeated into his phone.

“Awww, don’t be so stiff, Akechi,” the girl on the other side cooed in a very annoying voice. “With your grades, one failed project won’t matter anyway.”

“It will matter, because—” Goro started, but wasn’t allowed to finish.

“Look, I know you straight A students need to maintain your swag, but I have things going on in my life and this project is a major pain in the ass.”

Goro also had things going on in his life. Like detective work, TV interviews, and messing with people’s subconsciousness to further his father’s twisted ambitions, but before he could list some of those reasons the girl disconnected.

He sighed, trying to calm himself. The other two people who he was supposed to be working with were also unhelpful. One of them just ran away from home and wasn’t coming to school, while the other was too busy crushing on some girl to pay any attention to homework.

Honestly, if Goro had the option of ignoring this assignment, he would. The problem was that the teacher insisted on making this group project significantly count towards Goro’s final grade “so he can make up for being absent so often”.

Goro gritted his teeth as he looked at the calendar. He had a week and a half. He could do it.

As if on cue, Goro’s phone rang. He raised his hand, feeling a dim hope that maybe one of his classmates found their sense of decency somewhere and decided to provide at least a little help.

Unfortunately, it was somebody else.

“There is an urgent job,” Shido said through the phone, his voice demanding absolute obedience.

Goro forced himself not to sigh in frustration.

It was going to be a long week.

*

Okumura was a slave driver.

He wanted two ( _TWO!_ ) competitors disgraced before the week was over, just because there was some important food conference. Apparently, he needed other people to fail in order to have even a sliver of a chance of impressing the guests with his products.

It’s not like his cheapass burgers even qualified as food.

Goro spent most of the day following the first competitor. He liked to get some read on the person before he dived into Metaverse to confront their shadow. Knowing what made them tick usually helped figure out their fighting strategy, or sometimes even allowed him to trick the shadow long enough to use his ability on them without needing to fight.

Unfortunately, this time he was working on very tight schedule.

He sighed, as he drank coffee he had bought in the nearby coffee shop.

Finding the courage to finally visit Leblanc had a terrible effect on him, because now any other coffee he drank tasted second-rate. This one, too. It lacked the depth, the aroma that Leblanc brew had. 

He wasn’t sure what kind of black magic Sojiro and Kurusu put into their damn coffee and curry, but it was working. Goro would never again be sated by chain store coffee. 

He was cursed to keep coming back to their cosy little cafe to stuff himself with their fairy food and crave their presence, because they were apparently the only people in his miserable life who could accept the failure like him. 

He sighed and threw the unfinished coffee into the bin.

He really felt like going to Leblanc now that he’d thought of it. It wasn’t like he would gather any more information today. He was already working on a tight schedule, so he would need to improvise a bit anyway.

Except a part of him didn’t want to go to Leblanc. It scared him how much he yearned for that place. Or how much he wanted to see Kurusu now and complain about everything he could talk to him about.

And things he couldn’t, too.

Yeah, he really should go home now and maybe start to limit himself in his new hobby of fraternizing with the enemy and wishing he was there right now to— 

“Akechi?” a familiar voice asked.

Goro turned around so fast he felt his head spin. Fortunately, he was not going crazy because when he stopped he could see Kurusu standing not far from him, holding a bag that looked like it had a feline within it.

Speak of a devil.

“Kurusu, what a surprise to see you here,” Goro said, trying to ignore just how happy he felt that for once universe gave him something he wanted.

“Yeah, I was meeting with a friend,” Kurusu said vaguely. Goro felt a pang of curiosity, but Kurusu was good at keeping the identities of his strange associates a secret. “Are you busy?”

“A bit, but I guess I could use a breather,” he admitted. He should have been returning home to do his homework and the stupid group project, but he couldn’t resist the temptation to procrastinate on that cursed thing a bit. 

“Do you want to go grab a burger with me?” Kurusu suggested.

Goro, who had been seriously considering boycotting all of Okumura Foods’ establishments, including Big Bang Burger, looked at Kurusu in disbelief.

His disgust must have shown, because Kurusu blinked at him.

“You don’t like burgers?” he asked, as if trying to gauge what caused the negative reaction.

“It’s more my dislike for the unethical corporate practices,” Goro admitted. “I heard some bad rumours about Okumura Foods. Like exploiting the workers, and reducing the expenses on the factories’ safety.” Not to mention, having an overworked teenager humiliate their corporate rivals by messing up their subconsciousness.

“Uhhh, I see,” Kurusu muttered, looking disappointed. “A shame, their burgers are pretty good.”

Goro wanted to point out that those burgers had been, for quite some time, literally made out of his own sweat and lack of morality, rather than anything even remotely appetizing, but he bit his tongue.

“I’m not hungry, but I can accompany you,” Goro suggested. Maybe at least drinks were safe in the fast food hellhole that was Big Bang Burger and not actually made out of blood of their employees.

Who was he kidding. They were definitely made out of that.

*

Goro ordered a tea, hoping that at least this small nourishment was not made out of extortion. He refused to pass any more money than that into Okumura’s greedy hands.

Kurusu, on the other hand, seemed to have forsaken any remains of his sanity he had left.

“So you will try to eat this… monstrosity?” Goro asked, as he watched a person not far from them trying to eat something that looked like a shadow that turned into a burger for the sole purpose of killing someone from the inside. Goro honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he ran into that burger in Mementos.

“I _will_ eat it,” Kurusu insisted, looking strangely determined.

“I don’t think that’s good for your health. Are you sure you will not get stomach ulcers from this?” Goro asked.

“He’s right,” Morgana piped out from the bag. “I get that you wanted to complete this challenge once, but this is tenth time we’ve come here...”

“Oh, you brought your cat,” Goro muttered. Maybe it was just him, but Morgana sounded much less spirited than usual. Like it required a real effort for him to care. “I’m sure he agrees with me that this is terrible idea.”

“Even if he does, it won’t stop me,” Kurusu insisted. “I already made an order. I’m not going to waste food.”

Goro wanted to say something, but it was a painfully familiar sentiment. It was only recently that he stopped trying to eat any food that was borderline spoiled, because it felt like a waste to have it thrown out.

Knowing hunger did that to people.

“Uhhh, anyway, how’s your life going?” Kurusu asked, in an awkward attempt to steer the conversation into a different direction.

Goro quickly flipped through potential topics that he could discuss with Kurusu without revealing himself to be a supernatural assassin who already got a commission on the Phantom Thieves’ leader.

“I have a really annoying group project on my hands,” he said with a sigh.

“It can’t be that bad,” Kurusu offered.

“All three people directly told me they are not interested in helping me with it, since they are going through stuff and don’t care if they fail,” Goro complained. “And it’s a lot of material to get through on my own. It’s not a topic I’m very familiar with, and it would be doable with four people splitting their work, but with just me it’s…. It’s hard to do it on my own,” he admitted.

It felt strange to admit it. Goro had always constructed an image of someone who was able to get things done. Before the police, before the teachers, before Shido. And yet, here he was, sobbing to his nemesis about struggling with a group project that had suddenly turned into a metaphor for his life—full of impossible expectations and lacking any sort of reliable support.

“That sounds pretty terrible,” Kurusu admitted. “I would like to help, but I’m leaving on a school trip tomorrow.”

“The one to Hawaii?”

“Yes, I won’t be back until Sunday evening.”

“Please, don’t bring me any souvenirs,” Goro requested, already picturing the terrible knick-knacks Kurusu would choose for him.

“You are no fun, Akechi. No burgers, no souvenirs, what do you even do for fun?” Kurusu asked, obviously teasing him.

 _Fraternize with enemy._

“Cycling,” Goro replied with a perfect smile.

“Really?” Kurusu asked, looking strangely disappointed. “Well, then again that explains why you have such nice calves.”

“I… what?!” he sputtered, almost choking on his tea.

Fortunately, the waitress chose that moment to appear with Kurusu’s questionable meal choice. It was an even bigger burger than the one Goro saw earlier. He was sure it would now haunt him in his nightmares. Once the waitress set down the tray before Kurusu, she pulled out a watch.

“Thank you for taking the Big Bang Burger Challenge… again,” the waitress said with a weighty pause that heavily suggested she also doubted Kurusu’s sanity. “You know the drill, right? You have half an hour.”

“I won’t be able to talk, but you are free to vent to me during that time,” Kurusu said to Goro, before nodding to the waitress to start counting. As she clicked on the stopper, Kurusu descended on the burger with a ferocity Goro did not expect.

“Will you be okay?” Goro asked, worried despite himself.

“He will be fine,” Morgana muttered from the bag, sounding disinterested.

Goro glanced at the bag, but continued to pretend he didn’t understand the cat. 

A few minutes passed with Goro having nothing better to do than watch Kurusu’s epic fight with a burger.

“Uhhh… I’ve never travelled abroad, actually,” Goro admitted. “Didn’t really have opportunity. But I think it would be nice to travel someday.”

It was somehow easier to talk knowing that Kurusu wouldn’t talk back. There was the waitress next to them, but she seemed to be mostly spacing out and it was easy to pretend she wasn’t there.

“I would want to see different countries. I’ve spent all my life here. And it would be liberating to escape from this city even for a little bit. Run away from all this trouble, and buzz, and social media…” And evil conspiracies forcing you to kill the only friend you ever made. “Then again, it would probably be lonely to go abroad by myself.”

Goro paused. Maybe it was his imagination, but Kurusu seemed to have slowed down a bit in his eating frenzy. He still had more than a half of the burger, though.

“I could probably sign up for some group trip, but it wouldn’t be the same as sharing the views with someone I know…” He stopped for a moment, as his mind pushed an image of him and Kurusu together on a trip. It was a stupidly pleasant vision. They would probably laugh at weird foreign architecture and Kurusu would insist that they try the local food. Goro wouldn’t even mind if Morgana came with them, because apparently the furball had grown on him enough that he didn’t hate it on principle. “I must sound hopelessly romantic.”

Kurusu made a grunt in between the chews.

“I’m not even sure if you are disagreeing with me or not,” Goro muttered, then sighed. “It’s not important. I guess with all the stressful situations surrounding me I just want to indulge in a little escapism.” He hadn’t really done that in a long time, but Kurusu’s presence seemed to pull that part of him to the surface. And really, Kurusu would be dead before the year ended, so there would be no harm in fantasizing a bit. “It would be nice if we could go somewhere together. I’ve never travelled with anyone, but it feels like with you I would have fun wherever we went.”

It was at this point that Kurusu made a strange choking sound. Goro froze, watching in terror as the burger fell out of his hands, which shakily moved to his throat as if he desperately wanted to do something, but couldn’t. He opened his mouth wide as if needing the air, but all that came out of it was a gagging noise. The waitress remained rooted in the spot, too shocked to move.

Goro’s body moved before he could even consider what he was doing, his mind going through all the knowledge he got from the required first aid course he was forced to take before he was allowed to work with police.

“Are you choking?” he asked, as he pushed the chair to get to Kurusu. 

Kurusu nodded, his hand moving frantically to signal he couldn’t breath. 

It was bad, if that stupid burger completely blocked his throat, Kurusu could die. 

“Joker? Are you alright, Joker?” Morgana asked from the bag, his voice full of worry and growing panic. 

As Goro observed Kurusu’s face he realized that it was starting to visibly pale. A bad sign. Goro had to act fast.

“I will help,” he promised, forcing Kurusu to get up from the chair and pulling him closer so that he had space. He frantically tried to remember what he was taught about helping the choking person and the abdominal thrust.

Stand behind the person and lean them forward slightly. Make a fist with your hand and then put your arms around the choking person. Grasp the fist with your other hand so that your arms are just below the ribs. Make a quick upward and inward movement to help them cough up the thing.

Goro repeated those instructions in his head, trying to dissociate himself from what was happening. The fact that he was helping save a person he knew. That Kurusu was hacking in an extremely alarming way, as Goro pushed his fist into his chest. That he wasn’t even sure if he remembered the steps correctly, because he never thought he would need that knowledge and the fact that he suddenly _did_ felt almost surreal.

He put all his strength into it, not sure how much of it he should exert. Kurusu seemed to spasm in his hold, desperately trying to cough out the piece of burger blocking his air duct.

“Hang in there,” Goro pleaded, repositioning his hands slightly. Maybe this time he would manage. “Lean more forward!” he ordered.

Kurusu did and this time, as Goro’s fist dug into his chest, he gurgled loudly and finally managed to cough out the piece of burger onto the floor. Goro almost relaxed his hold, but tightened it immediately as he felt Kurusu shiver.

Then Kurusu started to vomit, and Goro decided to drop him after all.

“Joker!” Morgana was now next to Kurusu, having given up on hiding. “Please, hang in there, Joker!”

The waitress seemed to have finally gotten out of her daze, as she pointed them towards a bathroom. Kurusu somehow managed to get up, so Goro helped to steady him and lead him towards the bathroom, since he looked like he was about to start vomiting again at any moment.

Morgana followed them, calling Joker’s name in distress.

Goro barely managed to get Kurusu to the bathroom, when the PT’s leader lunged toward the stalls. Goro followed him, only to find him purging the remains of Okumura’s hellish burgers into the toilet.

“Are you okay?” Goro asked, taking some hand towels to pass them to Kurusu.

He was answered by more gurgling sounds. As he approached his very miserable enemy, Kurusu finally raised his head from above the toilet.

“I’ve… en… etter…” he muttered in such a weak voice that Goro felt pity despite himself.

Unfortunately, this was all that he managed before he started to vomit into the toilet again.

“We need to take you to the doctor,” Goro decided, feeling his hatred towards the Big Bang Burger and Okumura grow even stronger.

*

“I couldn’t even help him. Joker’s life was in danger and I couldn’t do anything…”

If someone asked Goro how he expected his evening to play out several hours ago, sitting in the waiting room of a shady clinic with a bag containing a talking cat that was having an emotional breakdown, while desperately holding back from telling said cat to stop moping, wouldn’t be his first answer.

The fact that they were both waiting to see if Goro managed to save his enemy and future assassination target from an early death due to gluttony just added to the surrerality of the situation.

“I’m sure he will live through this and then try to eat those burgers again like an idiot he is,” Goro muttered to the cat. He had placed the bag with Morgana on his legs earlier, hoping that it would ease up the feline. Not because _he_ was worried and craving physical contact. “Don’t worry about your idiot of an owner.”

“Don’t talk about him like that!” Morgana protested loudly, but then seemed to settle down. “But you are right, honestly what was he even thinking… I told him eating a stupidly big burger wouldn’t impress you and ugh… I should have tried to dissuade him harder. Tell him to just buy you flowers or something!” Morgana whined. The cat then paused, looking straight at Goro. “I don’t know why I’m even telling you that. It’s not like you can understand me.”

“Ummm… just hang in there, kitty,” Goro muttered awkwardly, because it was hard to pretend he didn’t understand this particular rant. “Good kitty, please don’t shed on me too much.”

“I don’t shed!”

Fortunately, the doctor chose this moment to join them.

“He will live,” the female doctor who was wearing rather… unprofessional attire announced. “You may take the guinea pig home. Make sure he stays hydrated.”

“Guinea pig?” Goro repeated, his eyebrows rising slightly.

“Yeah, easy in maintenance, but can die from loneliness, so make sure to take a proper care of him,” she answered. Goro honestly couldn’t tell whether she was serious or joking.

“I thought it was rabbits that could die from loneliness.”

“Anyone can die from loneliness,” she pointed out, casually leaning on the wall. “If it’s left untreated.”

Goro felt like arguing, but stopped himself, as his instincts told him that the strange doctor was no pushover. She was probably the type to turn into an absurdly powerful shadow with an annoying gimmick if she ever manifested in Mementos.

“Sure,” he said, because he was tired, having just lost two hours on saving an incorrigible nuisance from death—and still had no idea why he even did that. It was probably an impulse. All that first aid training made him act, before he remembered that he shouldn’t. Plus, if Kurusu did die, Goro might have been associated with his death and it would mess up his plans.

Yeah, that was probably it. The plan to kill Kurusu was already in place, hastening it would only make things more complicated.

As if summoned by the plans of his early (but not _that early_ ) demise, Kurusu stumbled into the room. He was still looking pale, but his gaze was slightly more focused now.

“Did I hear someone compare Akechi to a rabbit?” he asked blearily.

“Maybe I should keep him for the night, after all; he’s talking nonsense,” Dr. Takemi said thoughtfully, looking at the notes she was holding.

“I’m fine!” Kurusu exclaimed, straightening up immediately. “I was just curious!”

“It was more about whether you are more of a guinea pig or a rabbit,” she explained. Then paused, before looking at Kurusu. “But now that you mention it, you might have some point.”

“I’m not a rabbit,” Goro insisted immediately. Rabbits were weak. Goro knew that the public image he had been building painted him as a slightly dorky person, but still…

“I meant it more as the kind of rabbit that goes for the throat,” she said, then smiled at his flabbergasted expression. “I saw a movie with one recently. You kids should watch more movies.” She turned around, waving her hand. “Make sure to not have any more accidents on your way home, guinea pig.”

She left with those words, returning to her office. Kurusu, meanwhile, leaned forward to pet Morgana and whisper some reassuring words to him.

“Do you have any idea what she was referring to?” Goro asked.

“Not really, but it was fitting, wasn’t it?” Kurusu muttered.

“Fitting how?”

“Well, you spend a lot of time making yourself look half-incompetent, but it’s nothing but an act before you strike at the criminal. So a murderous rabbit would be fitting.” Kurusu explained. His voice was still a bit rough and he descended into a coughing fit shortly after.

“You shouldn’t talk,” Goro admonished him, even though it was his question that caused Kurusu to talk so much. “Come, you should get home quickly. You are flying to Hawaii tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“...yeah,” Kurusu muttered. It seemed like he wanted to say something more, but Goro didn’t wait to hear him. He grabbed his hand and forcefully led him out of the shady clinic. Luckily, he could reach Leblanc from there by following the street. He glanced backwards to make sure Kurusu didn’t decide to suddenly get worse and dramatically faint in the middle of the sidewalk, but he seemed to be fine. His eyes were downcast, and he was biting his lips.

He was probably still feeling faint. Or maybe he was ashamed to be seen so weak by his enemy? Who knew. All that Goro wanted at the moment was to make sure that Kurusu got in one piece to Leblanc. After that he would become Sojiro’s problem and Goro would be able to return to his business.

Sojiro looked surprised when Goro practically dragged Kurusu into the cafe.

“He choked on a burger. I got him to a doctor. He should only drink liquids for now. I need to get going; please make sure he won’t die,” he fired off before leaving the cafe in a hurry. 

As he looked at the clock, he groaned. He wouldn’t manage to do much work today.

*

 **Kurusu:** Thanks for helping me

 **Kurusu:** I was so out of it I forgot to tell you that

 **Goro:** It was nothing

 **Kurusu:** Don’t be like that, I know I wasted your time while you were busy

 **Kurusu:** I promise to make it up to you after I return from Hawaii!

 **Kurusu:** So hang in there for now!

*

Goro woke up feeling tired.

The whole thing with Kurusu left him stupidly exhausted. He could barely concentrate on his schoolwork when he got home, because his mind insisted on taking him back to that moment when Kurusu started choking on a burger.

Why? 

He had no idea. Maybe it was his pride? After all, each time he remembered that moment his urge to murder Okumura and his stupid burger chain rose significantly. Maybe he felt possessive over his future assassination target? It sounded stupid but he couldn’t think of anything else that could explain his feelings.

He sighed, as he pushed himself out of his bed.

He had work to do.

*

The first competitor wasn’t that difficult. Luckily, his shadow left his guard down long enough so that Goro could use his ability on him, and even manage to run away. He was still forced to fight some pretty strong shadows on the way there, but overall it went stupidly easy.

He exited Mementos feeling tired, but pretty satisfied. Maybe he could manage to do his assassination duties _and_ finish his school project on time.

However, the next second his phone started to ring incessantly. Goro spotted a number of attempts to contact him. It was Shido.

He immediately picked up.

“Why aren’t you answering your phone?” Shido demanded.

“I’m sorry, sir. I’ve been busy with the task you gave me,” Goro answered, feeling panic rise in him. Did he miss something? Why was Shido so displeased? Did he somehow learn that Goro saved the PT’s leader yesterday? Or maybe— 

“That’s not important right now! Listen!” Shido demanded, forcing Goro to concentrate. “That idiot director told Shujin’s principal we are cutting him off without warning us first. For all we know Kobayakawa is probably on his way to the police station. I already got in contact with some of my other associates, but that will leave a trail. However, if you manage to get to him before he manages to say anything to anyone we should be able to avoid unnecessary collateral damage. So go neutralize him, _now_!”

Shido disconnected after those words. Goro was motionless for a moment. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t gather his thoughts, as Shido’s words echoed through his mind.

Go to Metaverse. Find. Neutralize. 

_Kill._

For a second the vision of Wakaba flashed before his eyes. Her distorted shadow stretching its claws and almost piercing through him, before it stopped motionless and— 

_He had orders._

He didn’t even realize he had clicked on the Metaverse app until he found himself enveloped in the familiar darkness of his outfit and the cognitive world.

*

His second trip into Mementos was much more frantic. Moving between the real and cognitive world was taxing on the body, so Goro wasn’t in his top condition. Moreover, he had to hurry, but at the same time he couldn’t allow himself to get stalled by random shadows on the way.

He needed to find Kobayakawa as soon as possible.

He needed to stop him.

He needed to— 

A random shadow suddenly appeared from behind the corner, instantly attacking Goro.

He barely dodged the attack. He was touching his mask before he even regained his footing.

“Scorch them, Loki.”

The shadows shrieked as a wall of fire hit them. Goro didn’t even spare a glance at their remains as he stepped on their ashes.

He was short on time.

*

“There you are!” Goro screamed coarsely, as he finally found Kobayakawa. He probably didn’t have much time. He needed to finish this quickly— 

“You, you must be Shido’s… wait, aren’t you a student?” the shadow Kobayakawa asked, his initial dread morphing into puzzlement. To Goro’s confusion, the shadow then seemed to sigh in frustration. “Of course, he has teenage assassins, why am I even surprised at this point?”

Goro wasn’t sure how to react. From his short interaction with Shujin’s principal he remembered him as nothing more than Shido’s pawn. So wrapped in his promises that he was willing to blind himself to any and all evil.

Well, it seemed that was no longer the case.

“Uhhh, look, I don’t know what Shido promised you for stopping me, but it’s all lies. He’s just using you,” shadow Kobayakawa said, sounding way more concerned than he had any right to be. “If you let me go to the police—”

“I know that,” Goro said, interrupting the Shadow. “He’s a real piece of shit, I will certainly agree with that. Making me do all this work,” he muttered, reloading his gun. 

Shadow Kobayakawa blinked at him slowly, as if unable to parse his words.

“You can’t be older than Niijima… that would make you…”

“I think you have bigger problems than that,” Goro pointed out. Considering that the shadow already identified him as Shido’s assassin, his chances of causing a mental shutdown without a fight were pretty slim.

But maybe?

How much time did he have?

“I mean, you don’t seem like such a bad person, but even if I let you go Shido will just send someone else to do my job,” Goro said, hiding his weapon and taking a small step forward. The trick was to move slowly enough that the shadow wouldn’t even notice that you were closing the distance.

“I know… but if I just get to the police. They may be able to protect me!” Kobayakawa’s shadow insisted. “If they build a case against him, you could be free too.”

Goro stopped, surprised by that line of thought.

“And why it would matter to you? ...what happens to me is none of your business,” Goro said with a sneer.

“I’m in this mess, because I didn’t care enough!” Kobayakawa shouted, clutching his head, and Goro froze in place. The shadow looked at him with a haunted gaze that made Goro feel small for some reason. “You think I don’t realize it?! That it’s all my fault?”

“I…” Goro wasn’t sure what to say. Apparently, Kobayakawa’s desire wasn’t as selfish as he thought. Or maybe it transformed due to recent events? It of course wouldn’t change anything in the grand scheme of things, but Goro felt somehow fascinated by his newfound desire for redemption.

“I’ve been lying to myself!” Kobayakawa shouted. “When I became the principal, Shujin was just supposed to be a stepping stone for a position in Ministry. I thought I would soon get a promotion… but instead I got stuck in an average school with average achievements.”

Goro really wasn’t interested in the struggles of a high school principal, but unfortunately he couldn’t rush it. He slowly moved forward, listening to his ramblings.

“I thought I needed results! When I managed to get Kamoshida to teach at our school it felt like a godsend! We finally had results! A volleyball team worthy of nationals! But then rumors started to spread…”

Kobayakawa’s shadow paused.

“Maybe if I stopped then... But _nobody_ was doing anything!” he shouted. “No parent, no student… Nobody said a word! And if they weren't against it, then wasn’t it fine to continue?”

Goro felt sickened, listening to him, but he couldn’t show it. Not yet. He had to get closer.

“So I pretended everything was fine. Our school was doing fine, and even Masayoshi Shido took notice of me! Surely, the fortune has finally turned on me!”

Kobayakawa’s shadow fell quiet after that. Goro tried to take another step closer, but his next angry outburst made him move two steps back instead.

“I was a fool! Such a fool! I should have known that it was too good to be true. I should have done something… When Phantom Thieves struck, I thought that following Shido’s orders was the only way to save Shujin’s reputation… To save any chances of my promotion!”

“How pathetic,” Goro muttered. He belatedly realized he said that out loud.

Sloppy. Too sloppy.

“Hah… I hate it…” Unexpectedly, the shadow did not seem to take Goro’s words to heart. “Blinding myself to evil… To my students’ suffering… It was pathetic… But I’m done with it. Done with Shido! My career is done for, but if I can at least pull Shido down of his pedestal… Take him down with me. Maybe I could make up for…”

Those words.

They were too familiar.

Something seemed to clench around Goro's heart, as he inhaled deeply. Suddenly, he was sixteen years old, vomiting on the distorted floor of Mementos as the weight of what he had done sank in. Tears were streaming down his face, as his body shook in repulsion.

There was no corpse. It was then that he learned that anything that died in uncaring depths of Mementos would disperse without trace.

_“I’m sorry… I didn't mean… I didn't know… I… I'm… I can't… But I promise… I will take him down. It will make up for this…! I won't let this be in vain! So please...”_

Goro wasn't sure when he moved, his body already dashing towards Kobayakawa's shadow while his mind caught up. This clearly caught the shadow off-guard. It started to bulge as it attempted to transform into it’s true form, but it was too slow.

“Rage!” Goro ordered, feeling the familiar power surge through him.

The half-transformed shadow stilled in place. Goro remained vigilant. He had no way of knowing how it would react. Would it attack him? Would it start to trash blindly around? Or would it freeze in pla— 

Suddenly a guttural shout resounded through the empty corridor. Goro instinctively covered his ears, as he watched the shadow scream…

_...she stilled just as she was about to skewer him with her talons, her eyes were empty…_

...and then it slowly disintegrated, disappearing into nothingness.

Goro felt himself fall on his knees. He did it. He completed the job perfectly. Even though it was last minute and he had no way to time it, he managed to orchestrate Kobayakawa’s demise!

He smiled to himself, filled with relief and euphoria and bottomless despair...

Nausea hit him suddenly, forcing the remains of breakfast out of him. He forced back the tears that threatened to spill out.

_”So please… forgive me!”_

He knew better than to ask for something he didn’t deserve.

*

 **Kurusu:** Hawaii is nice, I guess

 **Goro:** You sounds so enthusiastic about it I feel like crossing it out of my travel plans

 **Kurusu** Don’t do it! You could use some tan

 **Goro:** I don’t do tan

 **Kurusu** Because you are a vampire, just like I suspected all along!

 **Goro:** That theory could certainly explain why I get painful sunburns if I don’t put three layers of sunscreen on myself 

**Kurusu:** Ouch

 **Kurusu:** I will still love you, bed-coffin and garlic-less food included

 **Kurusu:** Akechi?

*

Goro closed the texting app, fighting the nausea. It had been a day since he dealt with Kobayakawa. A day since he’d eaten anything.

A really miserable day to be honest.

The worst part was that talking with Kurusu helped, if just for a moment. Until he made that stupid joke.

_I will still love you..._

No, Kurusu would hate him if he had seen the truth. Goro deserved it, the anger, and disgust, and stake in the heart. It would be a fine end for a monster like him.

Goro forced himself to take a deep breath.

He didn’t have time to fall apart. Right now he was trying to figure out the schedule of the second competitor. He had to concentrate.

Not to mention, once he got home there was homework and the group project waiting for him.

*

“Could you at least consider it?” Goro asked. He was practically begging. “I’m not saying you have to return home, but at least help me a bit. I could even share some food with you in return, Ishimura.”

Unfortunately, just as always, the indifferent universe refused to give Goro what he wanted.

“N-no way! I bet you are working with them! I… I’m not going back! Tell my parents I refuse to return!”

“Look, I don’t even know your parents!” Goro hissed, his nice demeanour fading like the lie it was. “I just want…”

He stopped as his phone buzzed, signaling that the other person disconnected.

“Fuck this!” he spat out in a fit of anger before remembering he should control himself.

His thumb hovered over the text application.

He wanted to talk with Kurusu about how terrible this group project was going. No, not only that—about all terrible things… the pain, the memories, the regret…

He shouldn’t.

Slowly, Goro put his phone back into his pocket.

*

 **Kurusu:** There is a Big Bang Burger here too

 **Kurusu:** [BBBHaw.png]

 **Goro:** Thank you for reminding me of how you almost died

 **Kurusu:** Ummm, sorry, I didn’t think it was that bad

 **Goro:** No, I’ve only had to drag you to some shady doctor and hold your cat as it kept meowing in misery. It was no big deal

 **Kurusu:** I’m very sorry! I swear, I will try to make it up to you!

 **Goro:** Just make sure you won’t risk your life like that

 **Goro:** By which I mean no burgers for you

 **Kurusu:** Promise

 **Kurusu:** No burgers 

It took Goro a moment to realize he was smiling. 

He shouldn’t. He had work to do.

*

It was harder this time.

Not because the shadow was located in deeper part of Mementos or there were powerful enemies on his way.

No, it was harder because he kept remembering Kobayakawa’s shadow.

It was weird, because he didn’t even know Kobayakawa all that well. And it wasn’t like he had any reasons to pity him. Not to mention at this point he was used to killing. He wasn’t the same weak boy who broke down crying when he killed Wakaba. He was stronger now. Strong enough to complete his vengeance.

Kurusu’s face flashed before his eyes and Goro stopped, as if someone struck him. 

The shadow he had been hunting chose this moment to lunge at him. Goro didn’t even look at it, as he tore his mask off.

“Rage!” he ordered.

The shadow succumbed to the order, as it started to trash wildly. Goro tried to retreat, but the shadow’s long tail suddenly swung, hitting Goro and making him hit the wall.

It didn’t show any more interest in him, but when Goro left the Metaverse he could still feel his back prickling with pain.

*

 **Kurusu:** H E L P

 **Kurusu:** Ryuji and Ann are crashing in my room

 **Kurusu:** And they can’t sleep

 **Kurusu:** So Ryuji started to ask me what kind of girl I like

 **Kurusu:** And I don’t know what to say!

 **Kurusu:** How do I tell my best friend I have recently awakened as a bisexual and I don’t know how to answer?!!!!1111

 **Kurusu:** “Geeee, I’m not sure Ryuji, recently I’ve been thinking more about dicks, since I have foolishly overlooked half of humanity and I’m busy catching up”

 **Kurusu:** That would go so well…

 **Kurusu:** OH

 **Kurusu:** Ohhhhhhh

 **Kurusu:** I owe Ann at least ten crepes for ordering Ryuji to shut up and not ask stupid question when she tries to sleep

 **Kurusu:** She’s my hero

 **Kurusu:** Oh, sorry for the spam. It’s probably morning for you, but I needed to vent to somebody

 **Kurusu:** And it feels like I can tell you those things without any worries

 **Kurusu:** I miss you

 **Kurusu:** I wish you could see Hawaii with me

 **Kurusu:** I kept thinking how you would react if you were here…

 **Kurusu:** ...I should probably sleep

 **Kurusu:** Have a good day! I will be back soon and I haven’t forgotten my promise!

 **Kurusu:** I will make sure to take you on the best date yet!

*  
At least with all the work he did Goro’s weekend was free.

He spent the whole Saturday reading the books from the library to catch up on the material. 

It was hard. Goro wished he could sleep through today. But when he closed his eyes he could still hear Kobayakawa’s voice, so instead he forced himself to read.

However, his tired mind struggled to absorb the knowledge even with generous helping of coffee he made. It tasted terrible compared to what Leblanc served, but it managed to keep Goro upright, so it did its trick.

He didn’t deserve anything good right now, anyway.

As he thought about this, the image of choking Kurusu entered his mind, lodging itself there with painful insistence.

Goro spent the next hour reading about first aid, just so he would stop imaging what if scenarios where he misremembered how to save someone from choking.

It didn’t even make sense. If Kurusu died it wouldn’t really _hurt_ Goro. There was no need for him to worry over his well-being to this extent.

Still, the worries didn’t leave him until he had memorized all common first aid scenarios.

*

“Please, Kuromaru. I’m sure it won’t help you if you flunk this subject due to—”

“No, listen, Akechi. I know people are making fun of my love! I’m sure you are sneering behind my back, too! However, it won’t break just from this! My love grows stronger every time it encounters difficulties!” Kuromaru’s voice kept growing more passionate with each delusion he spewed.

“You could just help with this group project, I’m sure she would like someone smart so—” 

“Anyway I can’t! I heard that if you pick up a flower from Inokashira lake and give it to the person you love, your love will be eternal! I can’t waste time! I need to get one this weekend before the weather gets too cold! My love will bloom just like the flower on the lake!”

“That’s just a superstition—” 

Goro was cut off by the sound of phone being hung on him. Again.

Left alone with his school project and thoughts, he felt infinitely lonely.

*

Something was wrong.

Goro woke up to realize someone else was in his house. The intruder was quiet, but Goro’s senses were sharp from hundreds of hours spent fighting shadows in Mementos.

He carefully got up. He only kept a switchblade in his bedroom, but it would have to do.

Goro took it and slowly approached the door. He pushed it, trying not to put too much force, but the doors creaked, despite his efforts. 

His heart started to beat frantically, as he realized he must have alarmed the intruder. He pushed the door with more strength and rushed forward deciding to try to surprise the intruder— 

“Oh, Akechi, you are up!” a familiar voice called out.

Akechi froze, pointing his switchblade towards Kurusu, who seemed to have just turned and realized that fact. He was holding one of the library books in his hand, looking as if he had been reading it.

“Uhhhh, surprise,” he said, sounding awkward. “Sorry for coming unannounced.”

Akechi lowered the switchblade, feeling himself calm down a bit. It didn’t seem like Kurusu had any bad intentions. Unless he was trying to become the world’s worst phantom thief by not leaving early, because he got absorbed in perusing the target’s homework.

“What are you doing here?” Akechi asked, his voice barely containing the anger. “ _How_ did you come in?”

Kurusu averted his eyes, looking embarrassed.

“Well, you weren’t writing and I got pretty worried something happened. When you didn’t answer the doorbell I got scared and, uhhh, I might have used some _unlocking skills_ … Don’t worry, your lock is fine and still usable!” Kurusu assured him.

“I see,” Akechi said, then sighed. “If you realized I was just asleep then why didn’t you leave?”

Kurusu scratched his neck.

“Well, here’s a thing… I might know how to open a lock… just because I happened to close myself off house a few times. I swear, it’s just that. But, ummmm, I never learned how to _close_ doors without a key. And I thought that going through your things to find a key would make this even worse, so I figured I would wait until you woke up.”

This lack of forethought was so incredibly _Kurusu_ that Goro believed him immediately.

“Okay, so now that I’m up, are you going to leave?” Akechi asked, as he leaned on the wall.

“Actually, I hoped I could at least make you coffee to apologize for this mess,” Kurusu offered, sounding hopeful. He even produced a bag of beans out of his pocket.

Akechi was tempted to kick his thieving ass out the door right this instant, but his craving for Leblanc style coffee won over.

“Fine, but I don’t own coffee machine, you know,” Akechi said, in a half-hearted attempt to dissuade Kurusu.

“It’s fine, I can manage!” Kurusu assured, as he moved to the kitchen. Goro remained standing for a moment longer, but then realized there was no point in doing so.

He put the switchblade on the table and put a blanket that he left there last night over his shoulders to warm himself. 

He picked up the book Kurusu had been reading and opened it. As he flipped through it he realized he was one he hadn’t managed to read through yesterday. Despite that, it had colorful bookmarks with notes Kurusu made about parts he though would be relevant for Goro’s project.

Goro blinked at that and looked towards the entrance to the kitchen from which he could hear the clanking of glass and metal.

Something felt warm in his chest at the thought that Kurusu came here, because he was _worried_. Nobody had worried over Goro.

At least not since his mother died.

Ah, maybe it was that.

The clanking in the kitchen, the warm blanket, it all reminded him of when he was a child. When his mother was still around to look after him.

Goro had almost forgotten what it was like. It was such a simple, warm feeling and yet it had completely vanished from his life. It was like he was recalling something that happened in a dream.

If he stretched his arms, maybe once more someone would embrace him…

“Goro, is everything okay? Why are you crying?”

Kurusu left the kitchen, holding a cup. He quickly set it down, and crouched to check on Goro. The soothing smell of Leblanc coffee filled the room, making the yearning inside Goro’s heart even stronger.

He wasn’t sure if he was the one who reached forward, or if it was Kurusu who pulled him in. Either way Goro suddenly found himself enveloped by a solid and warm body. He reflexively tightened his hands.

“It’s alright, I’m here…”

A voice said. It was supposed to be Kurusu’s voice, but for some reason it sounded strangely like the voice of Goro’s mother.

How weird, it was feeling like he was much shorter, as his hands barely reached his mom’s back…

Mom?

*

Goro opened his eyes abruptly.

He was breathing deeply and his body felt strangely warm as if the hug he just experienced was something more than a dream.

It wasn’t.

Goro slowly reached for his phone to see it was already noon. He was so tired he must have forgotten to set his alarm clock and over— 

_“It’s alright, I’m here…”_

Goro shivered, as the vestiges of his dream returned, lingering in his consciousness like poison.

It wasn’t true. This ridiculous dream couldn’t possibly reflect anything. It was meaningless. Just some old nostalgia mixing with escapism. Nothing more.

Would Kurusu hold him like that if he asked? Goro pretty much did that when he was saving his life at Big Bang Burger, didn’t he? Granted, he was too busy concentrating on the _saving life part_ to think about the proximity, but— 

Goro shook his head to chase away the thoughts. He quickly woke up and went to kitchen.

Even though his stomach twisted in pain, Goro didn’t feel like he could stomach anything.

He automatically reach for the container with coffee, but froze as another unwanted memory returned. The sounds of work from kitchen and the smell of coffee.

If Kurusu was here to make him coffee whenever Goro felt sad and lonely like that...

...it would be nice, wouldn’t it?

*

Goro couldn’t concentrate as he returned to his attempts to finish the group project. He had barely managed to read through half of books he needed to even get idea as to where begin his part of the presentation.

Maybe if he asked, Kurusu could at least help him make a poster for the presentation?

Goro shook his head to chase away those intrusive thoughts. They weren’t helping.

For a moment Goro considered trying to persuade his classmates once more to help him with the project, but it seemed like a waste of time. None of them even listened to him, too blinded by their own problems or delusions.

Honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised to see them develop palaces if this goes on.

Not that he would be around to see this, probably.

*

 **Kurusu:** I’m back

 **Kurusu:** Jetlagged, but alive

 **Goro:** Good

 **Kurusu:** How about you? Did you make any progress with your project?

 **Goro:** It’s going along… somehow

 **Kurusu:** Knowing you, you are probably overworked and stressed

 **Kurusu:** So I was thinking

 **Kurusu:** How about taking a break tomorrow? We could go to Inokashira so you can catch some fresh air

 **Kurusu:** I mean, if you have time

 **Goro:** I think you may be right in that I need a break

 **Kurusu:** So it’s a yes?

*

Goro wasn’t sure what pushed him to agree and go to the Inokashira park after classes.

Maybe it was a crushing certainty that even if he spent today and tomorrow pulling an all-nighter, it still wouldn’t be enough to finish that project by himself. 

Goro wasn’t usually one to give up. Normally, he would have pushed himself to finish that group project by himself, even if it was a doomed effort.

However, the moment Kurusu invited him out, Goro couldn’t help feeling like locking himself at home to finish would be stupid. The idea of going out and taking a break to distance himself from all the messiness of the last week seemed much more appealing.

The slightly cold wind felt refreshing after Goro had spent the weekend at home. As he watched the leaves dance in the sky, he could almost feel at peace. All the horrible things he had done, all the corpses that dissolved in Metaverse, Okumura, Shido Masayoshi and all other shitty adults seemed like a distant worry. Right now there was only him, nature…

“Hey, Akechi, you are here early!”

...and Kurusu, arriving _only_ half an hour later than they agreed.

Honestly, Goro should have ditched him, instead of trying to escape his problems by metaphorically becoming one with nature.

“I’m sorry, my cat was… Morgana was a bit difficult today,” Kurusu apologized. “I planned to go straight here from school, but had to take a detour to leave him at home.”

“Next time write me,” Goro said, raising his phone. 

Kurusu seemed to only now remember that he possessed a device that allowed him to not only jump into a cognitive world, but also send information to people that he was going to be late.

Maybe someday he would figure out the clock function.

“Yeah, really sorry. Anyway, I figured it would be boring to just walk around, so I have a suggestion!” Kurusu said, going from apologetic to excited in a span of second.

“As long as I don’t regret it,” Goro said, unable to hide his worry.

Who was he kidding, he was definitely going to regret his, wasn’t he?

*

It was cold on Inokashira lake. 

At least Goro didn’t have to row. Kurusu offered to do that through the whole of their little excursion.

It was a novel experience. Goro never really found time for something like renting a boat and swimming in circles for no reason. Still, it was nice to do this with Kurusu. Especially because the effort he put in rowing made him abandon his blazer, allowing Goro to enjoy the sight of his slightly tanned arms flexing with each swing of oars.

However, the increased amount of mosquitos made Goro realize he would probably never again agree to this. At least one of those fuckers bit him in the face. It would take days for the swelling to fade. Good thing he didn’t have any media appearances scheduled for this week.

“Are you having fun?” Kurusu asked.

“Yeah, it’s interesting experience,” Goro said with the same intonation that he used whenever he made small talk about weather.

“I could throw you into the lake to make this more exciting,” Kurusu suggested with no inflection.

“If you are hoping to drown the main enemy of Phantom Thieves, I need to disappoint you. I can in fact swim,” Goro explained.

“Wow, really?”

Goro nodded. There was in fact a pretty specific reason why he learned to do so. When he first discovered Shido’s palace he still held hopeless notion of conquering it. To make sure he would survive long enough to leave Metaverse, in case he fell into the cognitive sea surrounding the ship, he took up some swimming lesson. He didn’t practice for long, but he learned enough to manage.

Of course, he since gave up on defeating that palace. Shido’s mental defenses were so strong he almost died a few times back then. If the mobs were so powerful, there was no way he would be able to stand up against the shadow Shido. Even now that he has improved through countless battles, he still doubted he had enough strength to do so.

It was better to ruin him through the real world means. Where he would be disgraced properly and eaten up by the social media hyenas.

“Did you think about something nice, Akechi?”

“Oh, it was nothing, I just thought about how nice it would be if my plans came to fruition,” Goro assured with a pleasant smile.

“You mean catching the Phantom Thieves?” Kurusu asked. His voice was impressingly level.

“No, it’s true that their case is probably the biggest one I was allowed to work on, but I’m talking about something that I set up to do way before Phantom Thieves appeared,” Goro admitted, batting away another mosquito. 

“And here I thought your life evolved around them,” Kurusu said.

Goro gave him a look.

“Can you keep what I say a secret?” he asked. With everything going on he felt like venting.

Kurusu nodded, so Goro continued.

“When they first appeared I thought they were a major nuisance. I was helping with a few smaller cases for which I was taking credit and building my reputation. But this Phantom Thieves case? A big case where I was just nothing but one small cog, and that I was immediately pushed onto because it happened at a _high school_ and I’m in a _high school_. So obviously I should immediately figure something out. Except there was little proof of the actual crime. I was forced to sift through the rumors circulating around the school and they were getting more ridiculous by a second.”

“How ridiculous?”

Goro looked at the moving scenery with empty eyes.

“One said you murdered a student using a spoon in your previous school, because he bought the last sandwich with an egg from cafeteria. Ane you were about to take it.” When Kurusu gave him an unamused look, he added. “It stuck with me, because it was so weirdly specific. For the record I think you would at least chose the murder weapon better.”

“You really think I would murder someone over an egg sandwich?” Kurusu asked in disbelief.

“I didn’t believe back then, but now I think this is the most realistic part of the rumor,” Goro joked. 

Kurusu hummed in response. 

Suddenly, the boat made a tight turn. Goro glanced curiously at Kurusu, who seemed to be looking at something outside the boat. Goro couldn’t see what it was from where he was sitting.

To Goro’s surprise, Kurusu leaned over the edge of the boat. Goro wanted to ask what the hell he was doing, but a huge splash interrupted him.

It took Goro a second to realize he was now the only person on the boat.

He blinked, his gaze erratically moving over the small boat as if trying to figure out where Kurusu could have gotten. However, all he could see was a sudden increase of water in the boat.

It was only then that he realized that Kurusu must have fallen off the boat. It happened so quickly, Goro didn’t even register it properly.

He rushed to the side to see Kurusu’s hand splash at the surface. His head was completely submerged. Goro tried to catch his hand, but he couldn’t reach it without tilting the boat precariously.

He picked the oar and tried to push himself slightly closer, but when he did he realized he couldn’t see Kurusu at all.

Did he get under the boat or did have a problem surfacing— 

Could Kurusu even swim?

Goro felt himself shiver with dread as he looked at the uncaring surface of the lake. 

He couldn’t see anything…

Kurusu might be…

Goro barely registered how he pushed off his blazer. It fell on the wet wood, but Goro barely cared.

He dove into the lake.

*

The water was extremely cold. Goro’s whole body seemed to reject it. He could feel his clothes soak and weight him down. He didn’t realize how much more difficult swimming in them was. Good thing he at least left the blazer behind. 

He tried to open his eyes in the water, but it was hard. He dove down blindly reaching out his hands.

He needed to hurry. If Kurusu was drowning there wasn’t much time.

Goro felt his oxygen run out and was forced to resurface. He tried to open his eyes to see if Kurusu was anywhere close, but it was hard. He was used to wearing swimming goggles.

He noticed one of the boats was swimming towards him, probably realizing that something was wrong. But it would take them a moment to come closer and Goro didn’t have time— 

Something caught his attention. Like a small gurgle. He turned around. It felt like something had been behind him a moment ago. 

Was it?

Goro dove underwater once more.

He stretched his hands, hoping that they will reach this time.

Please, let them reach someone this one time…

Goro almost recoiled when he felt himself touch something, but quickly pushed forward to realize it was a human hand.

He grasped it and pulled upward, putting all his energy into pulling Kurusu toward the surface.

Goro hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to keep Kurusu above water. As he gasped for air, he almost immediately started to drown under the weight of the second body. He turned around to see that Kurusu’s eyes were closed, as his head barely stuck above the surface.

He didn’t seem to be breathing.

Goro didn’t remember the next few moments exactly. There was a lot of water and a feeling of desperation that propelled him to push against his limits to reach the nearby bank while carrying unconscious Kurusu on his back.

He almost passed out from the exhaustion, as he pulled Kurusu onto the land.

However, he couldn’t stop just now. Kurusu didn’t seem to be breathing, so rather than check if it was the case, Goro went straight to checking his pulse.

It wasn’t there.

No pulse, no breathing—he was dead. Just like all the bodies that disappeared at Goro’s hand in Metaverse. Just like that he would...

A wail escaped Goro, while he made sure to set Kurusu’s body properly.

He couldn’t… he couldn’t let this end here.

As if to oppose that cruel reality his hands moved.

He remembered everything he read during that weekend. He _knew_ how to help someone who had been drowning, that’s why…

“I will save you,” he muttered.

It might have been nothing, but empty sentiment. Still, Goro put his all, as he started to press down on Kurusu’s chest and counted. 

The memories of when he trained on mannequin were hazy at best, but he tried to recall the exact rhythm he learned then.

As he counted thirty, he leaned to pinch Kurusu’s nose and gave him two breaths. He made sure to watch his chest as he did to see if it starts moving.

There was still no breath, so Goro returned to pushing at his chest.

Please, please, let him sur— 

Suddenly, a cough escaped Kurusu. He slightly raised his head and choked out some water. Then he breathed his head once more falling back limply.

However, this time he breathed.

He was alive.

Goro did it.

Finally, he managed— 

“Boys, are you alright?” someone asked.

Goro turned to see a woman calling to them from a boat. She was holding a phone.

“I called for ambulance when I saw what was happening. They should be here, soon! Also, another person saw what was happening and should pull your boat here if you left something.” Confirming her words, Goro noticed another boat slowly approaching, it seemed to be towing an empty boat.

“Ah, thank you…” Goro said, but he barely managed to do so. Now that he managed to bring Kurusu back from the brink of death, all the strength seemed to leave him. “I will just lie for a moment…”

He let himself hit the ground. He felt utterly exhausted by what just happened.

As he laid by Kurusu’s side he noticed there was something in his hand.

It was slightly crushed red flower.

Goro was too tired to think what it meant, but instinctively he let out a chuckle.

This was too stupid.

*

He was taken together with Kurusu to hospital, but let out as soon as the doctors established that he was simply exhausted.

Unfortunately, his clothes had yet to dry, so Goro was forced to return home soggy.

It was embarrassing and left Goro with way too much time to think about why he ever tried to do something as stupid as saving Kurusu. It’s not like he had anything to gain— 

Oh, right, it was a wrong setup. If Kurusu died in those circumstances the suspicion would fall on Goro. There wouldn’t be enough to prosecute him and he could probably play it off as a tragic accident, but there was no point in risking it. Becoming a part of criminal investigation at this point would interfere with Goro’s plans.

Yes, that was why he saved Kurusu. It was in order to keep his plans going smoothly.

There was no bigger meaning behind it. That’s why— 

Goro sneezed.

*

Even though he made sure to change his clothes right after getting home, Goro still woke up the next day with a nasty cold.

He tried to leave for school, but when he managed to almost pass out while brushing his teeth he decided against it.

Goro phoned the school to inform them of his absence. Part of him hoped, this would buy him extra time for the school project, but he was passed the message that he was still expected to present once he got better.

Goro wilted at that news, but there wasn’t much he could do.

He took the cold medicine he found in the drawer, returned to bed and passed out.

*

He was woken up by his phone ringing. He picked it up, still feeling groggy.

If Okumura thought Goro was about to ruin more people from food industry he was deeply mistaken— 

“Hey, Akechi, it’s me. I’m calling to say that I’m alive and well, thank you.”

Goro almost forgot he could get a phone call from Kurusu. Usually they stuck to text messages. Guess, saving a life deserved at least a phone call.

“Next time make sure you don’t fall off the boat,” Goro said. His throat was sore, so his voice came out thicker than usual.

“Are you alright?” Kurusu asked, realizing that Goro sounded off.

“I think I might have gotten a bit of a cold.” Now that he thought about it, it was all Kurusu’s fault that Goro was sick. He should have felt angry about it, but it seemed he was too exhausted for emotional outbursts, because all he found was a tired resignation.

“Do you have temperature? What about cold medicine? I can bring you some so you don’t have to leave. Do you have enough food?” Kurusu asked quickly, sounding equal parts guilty and nervous. It was a nice change of pace from his usual unaffected smugness.

It almost made up for him landing Goro in this mess in the first place.

“Don’t worry, I will be fine,” he assured. “I just need to stay at home for a bit.”

“What about your school project? I thought you were supposed to present tomorrow,” Kurusu asked, catching Goro off guard. He didn’t expect Kurusu to remember this.

“It will be pushed off, since it seems all other people I’m supposed to be doing this project with haven’t been going to school.” Goro laughed, feeling hopeless. “So once I’m back I will get an earful for all of them.”

Kurusu was silent for a moment.

“...that’s unfair,” he finally muttered.

“There’s nothing to be done about it,” Goro said, mostly wanting to finish the conversation quickly. His throat was starting to hurt from talking.

“Akechi… could you send me their names?” Kurusu finally asked.

“Names?” Goro repeated. Would Kurusu try to persuade them on his behalf?

Well, whatever, Goro couldn’t care less about his idiot project partners at this point. Plus, if giving their names away would get Kurusu off his back—it was a cheap price to pay.

“Well, sure I will text you, then. Thank you calling.”

“Yeah, hope you get some rest,” Kurusu muttered.

Goro finally disconnected, enjoying the blessed silence. He reached for a bottle of water and took a few solid gulps, but it did little to ease the pain.

Stupid sore throat.

He looked at his phone. Should he really send Kurusu those names? What was he even going to do with them?

Goro felt like the answer would be obvious to him if he only wasn’t going through fever right now.

Not wanting to think on it any longer he inputted the names and sent them, before letting himself return to sleep.

*

Goro forced himself to get up in the late afternoon.

He needed to eat something.

He pulled a pack of instant ramen and set the water. As he waited for it to boil, he checked his phone.

 **Kurusu:** Thanks for the names

 **Kurusu:** Also, I still feel a bit bad for making you sick. Could you tell me where you live? I would bring you something nice

Goro considered the question for a moment.

The visions from that dumb dream jumped at him. The idea of Kurusu making him something to eat in the kitchen. The feeling of warmness that Goro felt due to the fact that someone came to visit him.

If he replied he could have that all—

He stopped that dangerous train of thoughts.

There was no way it would play out like that. Kurusu probably just wanted to take advantage of his illness to acquire information while Goro’s guard was down. It was all there was to it. Sure, maybe there was some small guilt at making Goro sick, but his role as Phantom Thieves leader definitely took precedence.

Goro was a secondary concern to him at best, just as he was nothing more than a collateral damage to Goro.

He shook his head, as he realized the water was already boiled.

He had no time to indulge impossible fantasies.

*

Goro woke the next morning feeling terrible.

He tried to turn on the side and return to sleep, but something prevented him from doing so.

It took him a moment to realize it was the sound of his doorbell.

Was it a postman? Or was it another person trying to sell Goro a talisman protecting his heart from being stolen by Phantom Thieves? Honestly, the salesmen were becoming more and more cunning these days.

Goro hoped that whoever was at his door would give up, but that didn’t seem to be the case. The ringing continued with insistence for the next few minutes.

Finally, he lost his patience and got up. Whoever was at his door was going to pay for forcing Goro to open the door before he even hid the shadows under his eyes.

He didn’t even bother to put his slippers on, stomping barefooted towards the door, his hair unbrushed and his expression furious. If the cameras were trying to film him now, the lenses would probably break from whiplash.

Goro opened the door with a violent swing.

“Would you stop ringing already?! I’m not going to buy anything you have to offer, so fu—”

The curse died on Goro’s lips, as he realized the person before him was not in fact a random news reporter.

It was Akira Kurusu, who was standing frozen in place, his mouth forming almost a perfect O.

Goro reconsidered, then closed the door with a loud thud. His heart was beating like crazy, as he planned his next steps. He sprung into action, diving into the bathroom. He had no time for full bath, but he had to at least salvage the mess that was his hair. He stuck his head under the sink and let the water pour over his hair. He quickly slathered it with generous dose of shampoo and rubbed until the foam was dripping on the floor. He poured water over it, cleaning his har, then quickly dried it with a towel.

He combed them, while pulling the hair dryer from under his dirty clothes. He dried his hair, thankful that even without styling, it usually looked passable. While using a hairdryer, he brushed his teeth using his free hand. It wasn’t comfortable, but he was short on time.

Once his hair was dry, he quickly left the bathroom, leaving his pyjamas that were soaked in sweat and pulling a fresh clothes from wardrobe. Finally, he pulled a compact mirror and made sure to mask the unhealthy colour of his skin.

He finished in less than ten minutes. He was proud of himself.

...actually, why did he do that?

Goro froze, realizing that he could have simply gone back to bed, instead of dressing himself up despite the sickness.

His light fever must have been impacting his thinking capabilities. He wouldn’t have done something so dumb, otherwise.

However, now that Goro was more or less cleaned and dressed up, it felt like a waste to just let Kurusu go. Goro felt like he deserved at least something for his efforts.

Which was why he returned to the door and opened it with the biggest smile he could muster.

“Good morning, Kurusu. I didn’t expect you to visit.” _When I purposefully haven’t given you my address._

Kurusu said nothing, instead raising his right hand before rubbing his eyes. It didn’t seem to help, because he proceeded to pinch himself.

“What are you doing?” Goro asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Making sure I haven’t dreamed up you being a werewolf,” Kurusu said. “That’s the only logical explanation for how quickly you turned back into human.”

There was a silence, as Goro’s tired mind needed a moment to process this outlandish statement.

“Man, was I wrong about you being a vampire,” Kurusu added desperately when the silence started to stretch awkwardly.

Goro decided to be the mature person and pretend the last fifteen minutes of his life haven’t happened.

“What are you doing here. Shouldn’t you be at school?” Goro asked, because Kurusu shouldn’t be here at this hour.

“Don’t look at me like that. I already had plans for afternoon, so I could only come here during classes,” Kurusu said. “Plus, I told my homeroom teacher about the situation. She’s covering for me. Officially, I’m doing a volunteer work right now, so my absence is excused.”

That was surprising. Goro didn’t think Kurusu got along with his teachers.

“You could have just come later,” he pointed out, but Kurusu shook his head.

“Sorry, I’m busy. Anyway, I brought you some food, so it would be nice if you let me in so I can reheat it for you.” His face betrayed little, as he raised a sizeable plastic bag he was holding. It looked like there was a pot inside.

Goro was about to say no, but as if waiting for this moment, his stomach decided to remind the world that he had only consumed a cup of noodles since he got ill.

Kurusu said nothing, as he held eyes with Goro.

“Oh, fine. Come in,” Goro said, giving up. Then he realized something. “You haven’t brought your cat?”

Kurusu shook his head, averting his eyes for a moment.

“No, I think he could tell something bad happened to me. He’d been pretty depressed since I came back from hospital. I left him at home, so he could rest,” he said. Goro could tell he was trying to hide his distress.

Goro didn’t say anything, closing the doors behind Kurusu. Despite himself he wondered if Morgana was okay.

*

It was almost exactly like his dream.

Goro was sitting at his table, the blanket wrapped around him to keep his sick body warm, while he could hear Kurusu cooking in the kitchen.

However, instead of coffee there was a smell of curry and a strange herbal scent that he found unfamiliar. 

Was Leblanc branching out with its menu?

Or was it something that was being made specifically for Goro?

No, that idea was ridiculous, because nobody ever did anything nice for Goro, unless…

Yes, it must have been the guilt that drove Kurusu to perform beyond what he usually did as a part-timer in Leblanc. Honestly, people did ridiculous things due to heavy conscience. It wasn’t a stretch to think that Kurusu wanted to even their debt.

Actually, it was probably even a calculated move to some extent. If those misplaced feelings were to get into the way of Phantom Thieves, it was better to quell them with empty gestures of compassion.

Yes, as expected of Goro’s rival. He was thinking two steps ahead, when he wasn’t actively attempting to win the Darwin Award.

Goro’s thoughts were interrupted, as Akira emerged from the kitchen, holding two plates of curry.

“You made one for yourself?” Goro asked dumbly, since he somehow didn’t expect that.

“I brought enough curry to last you for a week. Boss bought way too much stuff when he heard I wanted to cook for you. I swear you will be eating this curry for the next three days,” Kurusu explained, as he set down the two plates.

Goro blinked, surprised, while Akira returned to kitchen.

He didn’t expect Sojiro to worry about him. Guess, he really cared for his regulars. Or he was just grateful that Goro saved his assistant. Yeah, it was probably the mix of two.

Akira returned to bring two mugs and two spoons. One the mugs seemed to contain the strange herbal mixture and it was set right before Goro. Several herbs were literally sticking out of the cup, making Goro feel like he was asked to drink a floral exhibition rather than tea.

“What is that?” he asked, slightly suspicious. It probably would be easy to drown taste of any poison in this amount of herbs. Hell, Goro’s knowledge of plants was severely lacking— one of those weeds sticking out of his cup could be poisonous and he wouldn’t even know it.

“I know it doesn’t look appetizing, but I got the recipe from Boss,” Kurusu explained quickly.

“I didn’t know he was knowledgeable on teas as well as on coffee,” Goro mused trying to buy himself time before he was forced to drink this monstrous brew.

“Ah, no, actually it was something he learned from his acquaintance,” Kurusu explained. “Umm, maybe you had seen recently the girl around the shop?”

Of course, he had fucking seen Futaba Isshiki. There was a reason why he had been thinking way too much about her mother lately.

“Ah, yes, she’s Sojiro’s daughter, isn’t she?” he replied with a forced smile. Luckily, Kurusu didn’t seem to notice.

“Yeah, so when she was little Futaba would often catch cold, so her mother threw some crazy formula to create the ultimate cold-curing tea or something. And she taught her daughter how to make it, since she often wasn’t home. So when Futaba heard that the person who saved me was ill she told Boss to pass the recipe to me,” Kurusu explained, looking slightly embarrassed.

Goro froze, as he looked in a terror at the cup before him.

Of course, of course, it couldn’t be _just_ an eldritch plant-bomination sitting in his cup. No, to bring Goro’s life to the height of ultimate irony, it was a cure developed by the very first person he had murdered, which had been now given to him by her daughter in good faith.

Yeah, it didn’t matter if the brew was poisoned anymore, the irony would surely kill Goro anyway.

“Aren’t you going to drink it? It shouldn’t be too hot now,” Kurusu asked, looking hopeful.

Goro hesitated, before lifting the cup and taking a small sip. He made sure to not choke on any leaves or the overwhelming feeling of guilt. The brew tasted distinctly like grass mixed with toothpaste and old regrets.

He decided to strategically focus on his curry to avoid having to drink the herbal mixture anytime soon.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, but how did you find my house. I might be ill, but I clearly remember _not_ giving you my address,” Goro said, congratulating himself on a great deflection.

Kurusu seemed to deflate at that. Goro took a spoonful of curry in anticipation. It felt good to regain the upper hand.

“So, I was worried and I might know someone who is, well, a fan of yours,” Kurusu said, stumbling on words.

“A fan?” Goro asked, feeling slightly concerned.

“Not the Detective Prince fan,” Kurusu quickly specified which just made Goro more confused.

“You make it sound like that person knows me personally,” he said, feeling concerned despite himself.

“They may have broken into my phone, and read some of our conversation, and taken a liking to you from what they read there,” Kurusu said quickly, as if admitting it faster would make the truth any less awkward. 

It didn’t.

Goro almost choked on his curry.

“Excuse me?! You let someone steal data from your phone?! Why haven’t you told me that earlier?” Goro demanded.

“Look, I only learned of that when they contacted me to say _they wouldn’t read them anymore_. It’s not like I could do anything at this point. I was just glad they didn’t decided to post those conversations on social media for fun.”

“You make it sound like you got scammed by a hacker,” Goro said slowly, still wrapping his head around that.

Kurusu looked at his curry.

“I guess, I’m cursed. First the probation, now this… next thing I know you really are a werewolf and on the full moon you will shed on the only presentable jacket I have,” Kurusu mused out loudly, obviously trying to derail a conversation.

“...so you asked a hacker for my address,” Goro said. It was definitely a breach of trust. An oddly charming breach of trust to be honest—Kurusu was probably the only person who would ask a hacker for sensitive information on someone just so he could deliver them curry and a herbal tea.

“Next time I will hire a deep web grandma to knit you new out-of-fashion vest,” Kurusu promised.

“That sounds strangely plausible,” Goro admitted. “And the only out-of-fashion thing is _your_ sense of fashion.”

“Wow, you really are in bad shape, this burn barely tingled,” Kurusu joked, but Goro could feel a bit of tension behind his words.

Goro just said nothing, as he kept eating curry.

*

“Sorry, but I need to go now,” Kurusu said shortly after cleaning the plates. A huge box of curry had been placed in fridge at this point and Goro somehow managed to drink all of the herbal brew without dying.

“Ah, right, you mentioned having some business to attend,” Goro muttered to himself. 

He found himself strangely reluctant to let Kurusu leave. Somehow his presence made Goro feel slightly less miserable. Still, he lead him to the door with no protest.

“Yeah, I would stay a bit longer, but I can’t,” Kurusu reassured him. The sentiment would be sweet if it was real. Goro was pretty sure it was just an excuse so he wouldn’t have to stay _that_ long. “When do you think you will be back to school?”

“Oh, I will probably stay home tomorrow, but if I get better I plan to attend school on Friday. I want to put that hellish school project behind me as fast as I can,” he admitted, as he idly watched Kurusu put on his shoes.

“I see,” Kurusu replied, his face unreadable, but then he smiled. “I wish you good luck with it. And thank you once more for saving me.”

“Ah, no, I should be the one thanking you for visiting. Although next time, please don’t ask the hacker for my info,” Goro added just to be on the safe side.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry,” Kurusu said, sounding very unapologetic. “See you later, Akechi.”

“Yes, goodbye,” Goro replied slightly awkwardly, as he watched Kurusu leave.

When Goro closed the door, his apartment felt lonelier than ever before.

*

“I wonder if you would hate it to see me drink this,” Goro said out loud.

Kurusu left him the herbs needed for making the mixture and while Goro still had mixed feelings on it, he couldn’t dismiss the cure’s effectiveness. On the next day his throat hurt much less and his head didn’t feel as heavy anymore.

So he made himself more of it to make sure he would be able to go to school tomorrow.

Except, this whole messed up situation together with the slight fever was making him feel strangely sentimental.

“I guess it’s a stupid question. If you were alive you wouldn’t really have a reason to hate me. At least not that much…”

He looked at the herb swimming in his cup, as if they could give him an answer.

“I wonder if your daughter would have given this to me if she knew… Probably not.”

At least she got adopted by a responsible adult. That’s more than Goro even got. Guess, good people deserved good things in their life.

Maybe Goro deserved to take the blame for the failure of the group project? He spent the last week causing incidents and even killed a person. Surely, getting shouted at didn’t even begin to make up for what he had done.

Yeah, he really should go tomorrow and get it over with.

“It will make you happy too, right?” he said, before drinking the rest of herbal medicine.

Nobody answered him.

*

Goro felt slightly tense. He was resigned to his fate, but it was hard to be calm about failing to do something. He always made sure to be successful. Nothing good ever happened to failures, after all. It was a lesson that had been carved into his body over and over again.

He had to be successful.

“Goro Akechi,” the teacher called him.

He got up slowly. None of the three classmates who he was supposed to do the project with were present today. It was just him.

He walked slowly between the desks, relishing in the inevitability. Soon, it would be over.

He stopped before the teacher’s desk.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t manage to create the project on time,” he said. He didn’t even try to come up with an excuse. The teacher had to know that one of the people he was supposed to work with had escaped from home. Not to mention that the other two had below average grades. 

“I’m so disappointed, Akechi. I expected something better from a talented student like you…”

Ah, he should have realized that earlier, the teacher expected him to complete the group project alone from the very beginning. This way he would raise the average of those other three students. It was such an obvious ploy, why didn’t Goro realize it sooner? 

He had been set up from the very beginning in an impossible game which he had no chances of winning— 

Suddenly, the door opened. The teacher stopped his tirade and Goro turned to see who had interrupted the class.

Hoshimari confidently entered the class, followed by hesitant Ishimura, and finally Kuromaru closed that unusual procession. Goro tried to understand what they were doing here. 

“Teacher, please, stop blaming Akechi. It’s our fault that the project hasn’t been finished!” Kuromaru asked, sounding as passionate as ever.

“That’s right! He doesn’t deserve to go through this, we are the ones who messed up,” Hoshimori added.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you trouble,” Ishimura apologized, honestly.

He could understand one of them finding the human decency to come and admit to their mistake, but seeing all three of them made Goro’s brain freeze.

What the hell was going on?

“What… what are you doing?” the teacher asked, clearly confused.

“We realized the wrong of our ways!” Kuromaru announced.

“We want to set things straight. Akechi spent those two weeks trying to get us together to finish this project, but we ignored him. It’s not fair for him to take the blame. He was the only one of us to put the effort into it!”

“I shouldn’t have been on this project in the first place. Didn’t you know why I wasn’t at school for the past two weeks?!” Ishimura asked, sounding distressed. “I ran away because I didn’t want to weigh other people down! This isn’t what I wanted!”

Teacher was now visibly taken aback by this united front.

“Don’t give Akechi a bad grade! It’s our fault he couldn’t complete this project!” Hoshimori insisted.

“Well, I…” teacher muttered, unsure how to react.

“That’s right, it’s fine if you fail the three of us, but he deserves better!”

Goro could feel unfamiliar emotions well inside him at hearing that.

Nobody had ever stood up for him like that…

Such a miracle…

Suddenly, everything fell in place, as Goro realized what was happening.

*

He didn’t get a failing grade. The teacher agreed to give him a different, individual assignment so he could have a fair chance.

The other three students got the failing grades, but they seemed fine with it. They even apologized to Goro after the class and wished him good luck.

It was a happy ending.

Too happy, if Goro could say so.

Instead of going home, he stopped by Leblanc. He was glad to see that there was only Kurusu in the coffee shop.

“Oh, Akechi, good to see you. How did it go? Also, do you want the usual?”

Goro nodded and then sat down at his usual spot.

“You won’t believe what happened,” he said, watching Kurusu intently. “All three of the students who were supposed to help me, showed up to defend me before the teacher.”

“Oh, they did?” Kurusu asked, sounding relieved.

“Yes, all three of the people who seemed to be caught in their delusions suddenly came to their senses.” Goro paused for a second. “And I couldn’t help feeling… it was _almost as if Phantom Thieves stole their hearts_.”

His smile remained as he stared at Kurusu. They looked at each other in tense silence.

“You got me,” Kurusu said, raising his hands. He then pulled out his phone and opened something on it, before giving it to Goro.

The phone showed the Phansite, where someone had posted a request.

_”My friend is working on a group project. However, all the students who were supposed to help him stood him up. From what I heard they seem to be too caught up in their own problems to realize they are hurting my friend. Could you please change their hearts before Friday? Otherwise my friend will get a failing grade. The students in question are…”_

He stopped reading. He had to applaud Kurusu for at least setting this much up, so he wouldn’t blatantly out himself as a member of Phantom Thieves.

“You ask a hacker for information about me, then you ask Phantom Thieves to help their biggest enemy with homework. It feels like you are becoming a criminal for my sake, Kurusu. What about your probation?” Goro asked, half-serious half-joking.

Kurusu scratched his neck.

“I’m sorry for doing it this way, but I knew you wouldn’t agree on principle if I suggested this—”

“I wouldn’t,” Goro confirmed.

“—so I had no choice but to act behind your back if I wanted to help you,” Kurusu finished.

“So you had Phantom Thieves steal the hearts of no less than three people for my sake. That certainly does not weight on my conscience. Not at all,” Goro said, irony dripping from his voice.

Kurusu looked troubled.

“I’m sorry. I just caused you so much trouble recently and that... That was the only way I could help you,” Kurusu admitted with a defeated sigh. “I really thought about it…”

Goro decided he heard enough.

“Just give me the coffee. You’ve kept me waiting long enough.”

Kurusu blinked, then looked at all the preparations he had already done.

“Oh, right, give me a moment.”

As Goro watched him brew, he wondered if it was okay to leave things like that. Maybe he should push Kurusu harder? But then again they didn’t have that much time, did they? Soon the plan would take shape and Kurusu— 

Goro watched as he placed the cup before him. Kurusu then stopped moving, as if waiting for the detective to make his decision on how to handle the situation. 

Goro took a breath, as he came to a decision.

“I will pretend I haven’t seen anything. Just… promise me you won’t act behind my back next time,” he said. Goro knew what he was asking for was hypocritical. He was planning to fool Kurusu and use his trust against him. He had no place to demand honesty from others.

“Okay,” Kurusu said immediately. “I promise I will talk it out with you next time.”

Goro smiled despite himself, as he took a drink of his coffee.

As he started to leave, Kurusu suddenly stopped him.

“Akechi, ummm, could you take this?” he asked looking bashful.

Goro blinked slowly and then looked at Kurusu’s outstretched hand.

There was a very damaged red flower on it. Goro squinted, feeling like he had seen it somewhere.

And then it clicked. It was the flower that Kurusu held in his hand when he had almost drowned.

A flower on Inokashira lake…

Goro slowly reached out, carefully picking up the flower. He looked at it for a moment.

It was such a small and fragile thing. 

Kurusu looked at him with full attention, as if waiting for Goro’s next action.

And then Goro let go of the flower, letting it fall on the floor, and stomped on it with full force.

Kurusu seemed to freeze in shock at that.

“Wh-why?”

“You almost died because of that stupid plant, didn’t you?” Goros asked, feeling the frustration from the entire week return for the last triumphant moment. He stomped once more on the flower. “I don’t need that weed to remind me of that. It would be better if it didn’t exist.”

Maybe he was too honest right now, letting his emotions run rampant, but it felt satisfying.

If this was supposed to be fate, then screw it. Screw it all. He would stomp all over it.

Kurusu had an unreadable expression for a moment, but then he chuckled.

“You are right, I was stupid…” he muttered, looking somehow relieved.

“I’m glad you realize that,” Goro said. He then turned around, to leave. “So don’t die.”

“Don’t worry, I will make sure I won’t,” he assured.

Goro nodded as he left. He knew it was hypocritical of him, but even if it was only for a bit longer.

_Don’t die before I kill you._


End file.
